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Cheatley and Stevic tops in Nature Valley opener
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The possibility of thunderstorms after a long hot summer day did nothing to deter 5000 cycling fans from showing up for an evening of criterium racing in downtown St. Paul for the opening stages of the 2007 Nature Valley Grand Prix, won by Cheerwine’s Catherine Cheatley and Toyota-United’s Ivan Stevic.
Minnesota's capitol city provided a tight one-kilometer crit’ course with six 90-degree turns punctuated by heavily painted crosswalks and lightning to the south. Under a sultry and threatening summer sky, the women's field was dominated by
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Kristen Armstrong, who very rarely ceded position to anyone outside the first three bike lengths. TEAm Lipton held that turf for the first half hour, in what is widely considered the most competitive women's stage race on the domestic calendar.
At the halfway point, the field was exploded, and Armstrong led a breakaway of eight that stayed away for the remainder of the race. In the end, though, Armstrong was isolated by a Cheerwine squad that had two women in the break. Working with teammate Leigh Hobson, Cheatley attacked at one lap to go and stayed away for the entire final circuit.
"I knew I couldn’t win in a bunch sprint so I went for it,” said the first-year pro from New Zealand.
PROMAN's Shelley Olds, just coming off an astonishing win at last weekend's Nevada City Classic, dominated the sprint primes and in the end motored to second place.
Armstrong was happy with her result: She picked up the Queen of the Hills jersey, a laughable, almost random sprint designation on a course that has - at most - a false flat coming into the finish.
"I knew the main GC rivals were back in the pack," said Armstrong. Despite delivering what seemed like a merciless flogging to the rest of the field, last year's GC winner seems to be keeping her powder dry for the days to come.
"Yesterday was a travel day," she said, "and I was just kind of stretching my legs out. I love this race. Everyone shows up for it, and there's something for everyone," she said.
Still, with significant time bonuses for podium finishes, and a very short 5-mile time trial on Friday, every place counts, and Armstrong will need to get some separation; while there are several brutal climbs in the road races Thursday and Saturday, as well as a hill climb on Sunday that's billed as the steepest in any American crit, these are not mountain stages, after all. Winning margins are likely to be in seconds, not minutes, so bonuses may prove to be decisive. The power of adrenaline
Never underestimate the effect of a mid-race crash - even in a high-speed urban criterium. That was the lesson Stevic taught fans and competitors in a race that was fast and nervous, with no clear organization until the final laps.
Stevic, Serbia’s national road champion, was ultimately led to the line by Henk Vogels, Caleb Manion, and Sean Sullivan in a clean lead out and uncontested sprint. While happy to credit his teammates for the victory, Stevic also said serendipity and a crash at 30 minutes in played a big role for him.
"I was mad because the same thing happened to me in Philly," he said, recalling a similar crash in the Commerce Bank International Championship, June 10.
"Someone in front of me caught a pedal, and I went down hard. But then I had that adrenaline going for the final 30 minutes," he said, nursing a bleeding elbow and a bruised hip.
Early on, neither Health Net nor Navigators seemed willing to control the race, and there was a revolving door at the head of the pack, seemingly open to anyone willing to steal the limelight for a lap or two.
Colavita's Adam Bergman, who has returned to the peloton after serving a two-year suspension for doping whilst with Jelly Belly in 2004, is a native Minnesotan. He took a turn for pride at the front of the race for several laps, and held a reputable position throughout the race. But at the line, he was upstaged by another local, Jonathan Page, three-time national cyclo-cross champion.
Page charged to a third place finish wearing the green and gold of Nature Valley - the title sponsor supports a local amateur team with some formidable firepower, and Page trains for the cyclo-cross season here. No clear strategy emerged until the clock ran down to the final 10 minutes.
Navigator's Matt Cooke and Phil Zajicek tested the field, but they never attempted to stamp their authority on the race. Jelly Belly's Andrew Bajadali also went prospecting, but would not commit. With four laps to go, NGVP defending champions Health Net quickly and efficiently established position with Rory Sutherland, Nathan O'Neill, and Kirk O'Bee at the front of the pack. But the effort broke up with three laps to go. On a dogleg corner at the backside of the circuit, the leaders lost their line, and the notoriously aggressive Toyota United team – with a banged up and bleeding Stevic in tow – pounced at the opportunity. Health Net's Kirk O'Bee managed to slot in at second, but he was clearly disappointed that Health Net's lead-out had been scuppered. "It just got real squirrely at the front with five laps to go, and Toyota jumped," he said. The days ahead - While the women's contest is Kristin Armstrong's to lose, the men's race will likely remain wide open, possibly to be decided on the final stage. If Stevic's minor injuries can be fully subdued by the team masseur overnight, he may live to stay in yellow in the days to come. But perennial superpowers Health Net and Navigators will undoubtedly warm to this race when it hits the hilly roads of Southern Minnesota's river country, and Toyota United will need to parcel out its aggression accordingly to stay in yellow.
Click here for VideoHighlights of Stage 1
Men
1. Ivan Stevic, Toyota United (Srb), 59:24:00
2. Kirk O'Bee, Health Net
3. Jonathan Page, Nature Valley
4. Henk Vogels, Toyota United (Aus), all same time
5. Rory Sutherland, Health Net (Aus), at 0:01
6. Evan Elken, Jittery Joe's
7. Cesar Grajales, Jittery Joe's, s.t.
8. Phil Zajicek, Navigators Insurance, at 0:02
9. Carlos Alzate, Colombian National, (Col), s.t.
10. Matty Rice, Jelly Belly (Aus), at 0:03
11. Frank Pipp, Health Net
12. Darren Lill, Navigators Insurance, (RSA), s.t.
13. Martin Gilbert, Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast,at 0:04
14. Caleb Manion, Toyota United
15. Neil Shirley, Jittery Joe's, s.t.
16. Nathan O'Neill, Health Net, (Aus), at 0:05
17. Jackson Stewart, BMC, s.t.
18. John Murphy, Health Net, at 0:06
19. Jeffery Hopkins, Jittery Joe's, s.t.
20. Jonathan Sundt, Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast,at 0:07Women
1. Catherine Cheatley, Cheerwine, 1:00:13
2. Shelley Olds, PROMAN/Paradigm, at 0:05
3. Teresa Moriarty, Flanders/MBRC, at 0:09
4. Stacy Marple, Team Tibco, at 0:15
5. Leigh Hobson, Cheerwine
6. Kristin Armstrong, TEAm Lipton
7. Felicia Gomez, Aaron's Pro Cycling
8. Alex Wrubleski, Colavita Sutter Home, all s.t.
9. Laura Van Gilder, Cheerwine, at 0:37
10. Brooke Miller, Team TIBCO
11. Kori Seehafer, TEAm Lipton
12. Nichole Wangsgard, Team Group Health
13. Brenda Lyons, TEAm Lipton
14. Lara Kroepsch, TEAm Lipton
15. Lauren Franges, TEAm Lipton
16. Iona Wynter, Colavita-Sutter Home
17. Kelly Benjamin, Cheerwine
18. Rebecca Larson, Aaron's Pro Cycling
19. Helen Kelly, Webcor
20. Carmen McNellis Aaron's Pro Cycling, all s.t.
Hans Eisenbeis is a freelance writer and editor of PinchFlat News.
